Two Rhode Island-based after-school programs, Community MusicWorks and RiverzEdge Arts Project, were recognized among 15 programs from across the nation as recipients of the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards at a ceremony in the White House Oct. 20.
The $10,000 award recognizes programs that foster creative thinking, help students develop skills that facilitate academic success and change the character of their communities through unique program models, according to the website for the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
"You've seen how the arts and humanities can broaden their horizons and help them discover a talent or a mission or a sense of purpose that they never knew they had," said Michelle Obama at the awards ceremony, according to the website.
The National Endowment for the Arts received nearly 400 self-nominations from organizations across the country this year, according to the Providence Journal. From this applicant pool, 50 organizations were selected as finalists for a competition that would ultimately select only 15 award winners.
On tour, in tune
Community MusicWorks was founded in 1997 in Providence with a fellowship from the Swearer Center for Public Service with the goal of "exploring ways education can be a means to social justice," said Sebastian Ruth '97, founder and artistic director. The mission of Community MusicWorks is to transform the community and the lives of students through the diffusion of free-of-charge music education, according to the organization's website.
"It is a really nice honor to receive this award. It's validation that the work we're doing has national significance," Ruth said. "The award is both financial and a moment of national spotlight."
With 14 staff members and 110 students of all ages, the program focuses on lessons, studio classes and ensemble performance.
"The program has taught me problem solving and leadership skills," said Natasha Rosario, a longtime Community MusicWorks participant. "It has helped me think of music as not only a profession, but also as a hobby and a way to communicate with others."
An entire busload of students from Community MusicWorks made the trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the awards ceremony. On their trip, students performed in three different locations around the capitol to display their accomplishments to the public.
Some of the award money will be used to finance their trip to Washington, while the rest will be used as additional funding for youth programs, Ruth said.
Paying students for art
The RiverzEdge Arts Project in Woonsocket was also honored by the White House. RiverzEdge is both a nonprofit organization and a social enterprise, which provides "talented, underserved teens hands-on work experience in graphic design, digital photography, screen printing and visual arts," according to the organization's website.
A group of professionals who were concerned about violence in the community and the displacement of youth from employment opportunities founded RiverzEdge in 2002, said Executive Director Rebekah Greenwald.
The program's mission is to provide paid employment in the arts, academic support and pathways to higher education. In order to receive a stipend for their work, students must maintain a "C" average, actively pursue a high school diploma or GED and apply to college.
"We were selected for the award based on our program model and the results we produced — especially the quality of output from our studios. We had to submit examples of work from the studios and report on all of our activities," Greenwald said.
With 52 youth in the paid arts and business programs, 30 to 50 youth participants in summer programs, 150 youth involved in Mobile Studio — which engages youth in teaching skills to other artists — and 50-75 youth involved in off-site arts programs, RiverzEdge reaches a wide segment of the community.
"This award is an incredible recognition for what we do. To be seen and recognized across the national landscape is such a treat for us," Greenwald said.
Aside from the program's 100 percent high school graduation rate, students in the program attest to its much more personalized impact on their lives.
Jamel Williams, a student who has participated in RiverzEdge for a year and a half, said that if he hadn't joined RiverzEdge, he "wouldn't have known as much" as he does now, "especially about computers." "I was in the arts already, but the program has given me more skills to plan my future with," he added.
RiverzEdge will directly apply the award money to its arts and business program and to the purchase of studio supplies. The award itself will also have a positive impact on funding by expanding the organization's profile in the community, Greenwald said.
The national recognition of these two programs, as well as their empirical results, underscores the impact of co-curricular resources in Rhode Island.
"This year's NAHYP Awardees exemplify how arts and humanities programs outside of the school setting can impact the lives of our young people," said Margo Lion, co-chairman of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, according to its website. "By tapping imagination, encouraging collaboration and teaching discipline students achieve greater success and are opened up to the possibilities of a new and hopeful future."
